Automatic rope lock



May 24, 1949 M. LOMNER AUTOMATIC: ROPE LOCK Filed OCb. 5, 1946 IN V EN TOR.

MAX Lomxag Awb/b Affi/WW Patented May 24z 1949 UNITED STATE rll'tl'l OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to an automatic rope lock adapted particularly for use with clothes lines and the like.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a rope lock which can be easily released to permit the adjustment of the rope therethrough.

It is another object of the invention to provide a rope lock which is of simple construction, efI-lcient in use, and inexpensive to manufacture.

According to the invention, the rope lock includes a main body member having an eye swivel for the attachment of a rope therewith and an elongated slot through which the rope can be extended for engagement with a round knurled member carried by the leg ends of a U-shaped member fitted over the end of the main member and having a rod extending through slots in the sides of the main member to contain the round knurled member therewithin. When it is desired to release the rope, the U-shaped member can be pushed upwardly to release the rope so that it can be readily withdrawn from the main member. No tying of the rope is necessary to hold it in the rope lock.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of the rope lock showing a rope extended into the lock and bent down to pull the rope down over the top of the slide to lock the portion of the rope under the transverse member.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal cross sectional view, taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. l, looking in the direction of the arrows thereof.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal cross sectional View, taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows thereof.

Fig. 4 is a full side elevational view locking into the slots of the main and U-shaped members.

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view looking upon the closed sides of the rope lock and illustrating the two positions of the U-shaped member.

Referring now to the gures, I0 represents the main member having an eye II swiveled in a socket opening I2 at the top of the member. A rope I3 may be connected to the eye il and can be extended downwardly through the bottom CLI 2 of an elongated opening I4 and thence upwardly over a knurled roller I5 through the elongated opening in the reverse direction and thence, as indicated by the arrow I3a in Fig. 1, extended in the direction of pull.

The roller I5 is carried on a pin I6 extending between the legs I1 and I8 of a U-shaped member I9. The pin I6 also extends through slots 2l in the sides of the main member I0. As the pull is made upon the rope I3, the knurled roller I 5 is brought downwardly and the portion of the rope, as indicated at 22, is clamped between the roller I5 and the bottom 23 of the main member i0, see Fig. 2.

When it is desired to release the rope it can be done easily by simply pushing upward upon the U-shaped member I9. When the U-shaped member has been moved upwardly the rope can be pulled through for a new adjustment. By extending the rope I3 upwardly so that it will extend outwardly normal to the slot III, the rope will then be permitted to be pulled through and over the roller. Also by grasping a portion 24 of the rope, the rope I3 can be pulled through the slot I4 and over the roller I5. If desired, a free portion of the rope can be extended to the U- shaped member to make the same more secure upon the lock.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise constructions herein disclosed and the right is reserved to al1 changes and modifications coming within the scope of the invention as de ned in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

In a rope lock having a main member formed with an elongated opening and having end walls at the ends of the opening with an eye member mounted on one of the end walls for the attachment of the end of a piece of rope and the main member having its side walls formed with aligned elongated slots on opposite sides of the elongated opening and closely adjacent the other end Wall thereof, a pin extended across the elongated opening and having its ends slidable in the aligned slots for movement toward and away from the other end wall of the main member, a knurled roller on the elongated pin within said opening to have the free end of a second rope passed through the elongated opening on the side of said roller opposite the other end wall and engaged about said roller and then passed back through the elongated opening between said roller and the other end wall, whereby a pull on the ropes in opposite directions will move said knurled roller toward the other end wall securely clamping the end of the second rope between the other end wall and said knurled roller, and a U-shaped member engaged about the end of the main member at the other end wall thereof and having its side arms extending along the side walls of `the vmain member, said pin having its ends projected beyond the sidewalls of the main member and connected to the free ends of the side arms of said U-shaped member for moving said pin and said knurled roller longitudinally of the main member within the limits of the aligned slots against the normal action `0f the pull on the ropes to free the ,end of the second rope, said knurled roller being rotative on said pin to function as a pulley in the loosened condition of the second rope.

4MAX LOMNER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the nl@ of this patent: 

